Is there to heavy of an arrow?

[JacobPack]

Is there to heavy of an arrow for hunting? I am shooting a 750 grain Easton FMJ dangerous game. I chase elk, mule deer, and just signed papers to go to Africa.

[ChuckC]

Its too heavy if it doesn"t make it to the critter.  Otherwise, you can go as heavy as you want. (but, realisticly, you don't have to go any heavier than you are, unless you are shooting a 80 plus pound bow).  The old maxim of 10 grains per pound of pull is pretty standard.

ChuckC

[McDave]

There has to be too heavy of an arrow for hunting. Imagine if you shot a spear out of a bow.  It wouldn't go anywhere and it wouldn't kill anything.  It would be interesting to know if anybody has figured out where the point of diminishing returns is.

[buckeye_hunter]

Troy Breeding is the fella I would be asking. That guy has forgotten more that than I will ever know about building arrows.

God Bless,
Charlie

[Biathlonman]

Just my thought, but if Ashby found a 100% penetration effect at 650 grains, I would say you don't need more then that.  So my thought would be run 650 and just run it faster...of course if you're running really heavy bows, that might not be enough weight for your bow.

[BWD]

When it hinders your ability to place your arrow where you need for it to go, imo

[Bjorn]

Mine end up at 12-13 gpp; personally I would not want heavier, but I know hunters who are happy with 15 gpp maybe more.

[limbshaker]

I stuck a field point on a bowfishing arrow once and shot it out of my 45# Kanati. It was pretty pathetic when it finally hit the 3D deer   :p   I aint huntin with it...

But seriously if you can tune it, and hit where your aimin, I don't see where it could be too heavy.

[FarmerMarley]

As stated  above, it depends on your bow. AlSo mentioned Ashby found that 650 grains was a significant threshold over which gains in terminal performance were less significant. Once you are at 650 you might as well just go faster.

Playing around with different GPP is interesting. I found that for the bows I shoot (mid 40s at my 31" draw) 11-13 gpp was great, but over that and I definitely noticed a deterioration in my accuracy at 30 yards and over.(I shoot instinctive).

[David Yukon]

So 650 out of what? I mean if it is out of a 35# bow, it as to be to heavy... And out of a 75# bow as to be to light... Was Ashby said out of what # bow that 650 was optimal?

[Mitch H]

I have yet to do any testing on this with a recurve/longbow, but I am certain the results would be the same for all bows. I tested up to 1200 grain arrows out of wheel bows, and never at any point saw diminishing returns on KE or momentum as arrow weight went up. As long as arrows are dynamic spined correctly for the test bow, heavier arrows always generate more KE(although these gains are minimal) and more momentum.(these gains are not so minimal)

Like already mentioned, there will be a point where the arrow is simply too heavy to propel effectively, making it useless.

I always try to use an arrow heavy enough to safely get the job done on the particular critter I am hunting.

650 grains was mentioned…….IMO, that is heavy enough for most anything, but I would not personally use a 650 grain arrow for cape buffalo. If I had a 32" draw length, maybe, but with my 29" draw length, I would never chance it. Just not enough momentum.

[LKH]

I used Forgewoods for a while at just under 700 grains out of a Harrison longbow which pulled about 65 pounds at my 26.5 draw.  I credit the heavy arrow with why I got my best bull ever but finally went lighter.  

They had the trajectory of a fat rock. I've since gone with lighter arrows.  

If you're going to be shooting things out of a blind with known short distances, stick with your heavy arrow.

[Retnuh Wob]

As I recall, Ed Ashby talked about a tribe somewhere in New Guinea that shot arrows weighing up to as much as 3,000 to 4,000 grains. He estimated the velocities at well under 100 fps. Said they killed deer with them out to 25 yds. It sounds kind of extreme, but I guess it was not too heavy for them.

[twistedlim]

Originally posted by Biathlonman:
Just my thought, but if Ashby found a 100% penetration effect at 650 grains, I would say you don't need more then that.  So my thought would be run 650 and just run it faster...of course if you're running really heavy bows, that might not be enough weight for your bow.

100% agreed.  I don't mind going a little over but if you read the reports 650 seems to be the magic number.  It certainly will not hurt to go over provided your set up is tuned properly.  I don't pull that much weight so I try to to go way heavy as the "lobbing" effect comes into play at my maximum yardage of 23-25 yards.

[bucksakemmer]

Here is my Africa setup
ACS 53# at my 30.25 draw
340 Full Metal Jacket cut to 31 inches
Goldtip 204 insert/outsert
50 Grain Titanium insert
225 Tuff Head single bevel
660 total grains

I bareshaft tuned it for good flight.

[WESTBROOK]

If your shootin a 70-80# bow i'd say its perfect.

[Friend]

Would believe that what is too much arrow weight is relative to some of the following:

-   GPP
-   Bow efficiency
-   Quarry pursued
-   Effective Hunting Shooting distance

Would assuredly regard that the GPP’s are too high if my effective hunting range is compromised when presented with a likely opportunity.

Note: For me, ~12 gpp is my own personal limit
......For quicker smaller jumpers, personally target ~9.5 gpp

>>>Too much arrow is relative<<<

[ChuckC]

I think we need to read Ashby's words again.
and those of others (on this site).

Ashby was looking at the big stuff.  Shooting through a deer normally needs far less than the optimum heavy set up.  I think his informatin was awesome.  Always remember it.

But we need to think a bit outside his nine dots and see the big picture as it affects how and what WE hunt.

I stand by my statement,  if the arrow can't reach the critter, it is too heavy.  If it hits the critter, it is likely gonna go thru it. Indigenous folks around the world do this every day.  However. . . why do you feel you need to go that heavy ?

Do some of your own homework using your own equipment and technique.  It is fun, you learn more about your passtime, and you get it right for you.

ChuckC

[JacobPack]

So I have done my homework and pulled out some arrows, the new 750gr FMJ, 550gr Easton xx78, and some in 650gr. To try to keep everything the same, I shot them out of a 55# Hoyt Gamemaster II and into a brand new 6 sided rinehaart target so that there would be no prevous holes to change test results. at 10 yds the 750gr had 1" more penetration than the other two. when I got back to 25 yds is where the fun started. The 750gr arrow had 2 1/8" more penetration than the 550gr, and 1 3/4" deeper penetration than the 650gr arrow. I find this very interesting, so thanks for the posts. Just FYI, all arrows were spined for that bow, and none were shot in the same hole of the target. Also, they were shot in groups of 5 at the different ranges and the average penetration was taken. I can only shoot up to 25 yds in my house so I will have to go back to 35yds this weekend and see what happens.

[Bjorn]

For what it is worth David Peterson in his very good book "A Man Made of Elk' considers 650 gns at 150 FPS to be about minimum for Elk.